Natural materials such as brick, stone, marble, or wood are often used to decorate walls due to the unique and inherent beauty of the finished product. Since no two bricks or stones look exactly the same, each wall comprising these components will also be unique, which is part of the artistic beauty of these types of decorating materials. The "earthy" look of brick with wood beams, for example, can render an interior warm and interesting. Moreover, these types of materials also serve the function of providing temperature insulation. Unfortunately, cost and/or engineering limitations prevent these types of decorating materials from being affordable to many.
Although attempts have been made to replicate the effect of natural materials, using low cost materials such as wood panelling, these design and function attributes are mostly lost with most synthetic wall coverings. The representative materials thus far available include wallpapers based upon woven fabrics, nonwoven fabrics, converted paper, and the like as well as predecorated plywood products and wood paneling.
Oftentimes synthetic materials require that a trade-off must be made between form and function. For example, interior decorating materials should be noncombustible. While gypsum boards, asbestos boards, slates, and the like satisfy the nonflammability requirement, these materials are by no means considered to be decorative interior materials.
There are different strategies in the prior art used to simulate the natural appearance of brick, stone, or other mortar and sand based products such as stucco. The most familiar interior decorating elements are wallpapers which can be manufactured from woven fabrics, non-woven fabrics and converted paper in such a manner as to impart a relief or printed pattern. Other familiar products include pre-decorated plywood products or other forms of wood based products. More complex methods of achieving simulated brick, range from synthetic copolymers and resins, to the piecemeal construction of composite brick-like pieces glued onto backing boards. Such methods are generally expensive to produce, are usually heavy. Furthermore, such methods require an elaborate process of manufacture which may include vibration, pressing and elaborate curing measures.
Apart from the decorative limitations, most artificial panels have the disadvantages of relatively high weight and poor insulating properties. They are susceptible to fracture if dropped or struck and they lack ductility in that slight bending stresses induce inappropriate cracking. Moreover, each of these synthetic strategies however, involve rigid, non-flexible surface coverings that greatly restrict ease of use and limit the surface contours to which they can be applied to linear planes. Materials such as wood paneling, pressed drywall, stucco panels, bricketts, etc., can only be applied to straight walls which eliminates their use on curved walls, thereby inducing limitations on the design or decor of the room or building.
Some examples of prior attempts to develop methods and strategies of simulating natural materials are disclosed in Canadian Patent 1,101,687 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,974,024; 4,017,658; 4,052,831; 3,968,610; 4,148,781; and 4,094,941.
One such technique is disclosed in Canadian Patent 1,101,687 wherein a mixture of pumice, cement, water and petroleum jelly is poured into a mold and onto which a layer of reinforcing steel is applied followed by another layer of the mixture, a second layer of reinforcing steel and a final layer of the mixture. This method requires that the steel members must run with their rigid axis perpendicular to each other; the mixture used must be vigorously churned for up to an hour, and between each pouring, while at all times keeping the mixture above 60.degree. F. This method suffers from the disadvantage of producing a relatively heavy, thick and stiff panel that is not useful for widespread decorative application.
Another example of a process for simulating brick construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,941. The process involves: pouring a hardenable mixture into an open tray; inserting a grid used to outline the brick pattern, filling the grid to a flush level with a second hardenable mixture; using a male die positioned to fit snugly within the grid openings; and compressing both mixtures while at the same time vibrating the entire apparatus. Once set, the male die coupled with the grid is removed while vibration is continued to ease the separation. When the vibration is ended, the panel is allowed to cure fully, resulting in a rigid sheet-like panel representing the face of a mortar and brick construction. This method is restricted from wide-spread use due to its relatively complicated steps requiring specialized equipment for pressing and vibrating. The pattern of the resulting panels cannot be easily varied since a new mold and die set must be cast for each pattern. Finally, this method results and in a very rigid multi-ply panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,610, describes facing structures for building simulating brick, stone, shingle and the like consisting of prefabricated fiberglass panels designed to interlock, overlap and abut with each other. Fiberglass, however, is a toxic and difficult material to work with that requires extensive safety orientation and skill. The materials are environmentally unfriendly and the catalyst can render the production unpredicatable. The finished product is rigid and can resemble plastic more than natural materials. Finally, paint does not adhere very well to the fiberglass surface and can chip and crack.
Due to these types of limitations a need remains in the field of decorative wall coverings that simulate natural materials and that are economical, flexible and easy to apply.